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I have the NY Times to back me up! It doesn’t have to be a lot. It doesn’t have to be grueling. It just has to be enough to get that Krebs Cycle (Nerd Alert: You need to activate your Krebs cycle to release stored up ATP (energy) molecules; we have to use energy to get FRESH energy!) going.

And, even MORE exciting, even a micro dose of exercise affects the brain in ways that promotes emotional resilience.

Um. SIGN ME UP!

Here’s the experiment: Researchers found ‘thug’ alpha mice (how this is determined I do not know…) who bullied the weaker, kinder mice in their ‘hood’ / cage . The weaker, kinder mice became depressed. All EXCEPT those that had had access to EXERCISE!

Even though all the weaker, kinder mice responded the same way to the bullies (cowardice, mice crying and binge cheese eating… or, something), the exercised mice sans bullies “rallied nicely” and even appeared “stress-resistant” post bully exposure. (Source)

Researchers then examined the brains of the two weaker mice and found that the exercised mice had MORE neuronal activity. Exercise had improved the connections in their brains! Wow!

To summarize: Bully mice exist. All weaker, kinder mice respond the same way around bully mice. (Crying and cowardice.) But, if a weaker kinder mouse has had his time on the exercise wheel his brain is different. Exercise changes your brain to promote resilience. Exercised weak, kind mice will be fine in spite of bullies and the like!

(This experiment was only done with male mice. It turns out that the women are lonely and co-dependant. DON’T get me started… :P)